A deputy headteacher has been permanently barred from teaching after a disciplinary hearing found she had sent inappropriate “sexual fantasy” messages to a minor.
Laura Hamblin, a 40-year-old English teacher and safeguarding lead, was arrested in March 2024 on suspicion of inappropriate communication with a child. Between March 21 and March 29, 2024, she sent WhatsApp messages and voice notes of a sexual nature to a particularly vulnerable child.
Following her arrest, Hamblin received a suspended sentence, a sexual harm prevention order, and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a decade. Last week, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel made the decision to prohibit her from teaching indefinitely, considering her resignation from her position in September the previous year.
During the hearing, it was revealed that there were extensive chat records, totaling 1,500 pages, between Hamblin and the child, which the judge deemed damaging to the student. The messages escalated from casual conversations to flirtatious exchanges and ultimately transformed into explicit sexual fantasies.
The TRA panel concluded that Hamblin had severely violated the expected standards of a teacher’s conduct and had abused her position of trust. She even instructed the child to delete the messages, attempting to conceal the inappropriate communication.
In sentencing remarks, the judge criticized Hamblin for engaging in inappropriate behavior and highlighted the negative impact on the student, including disrupting his education and losing a trusted teacher. The panel decided that no review period would be appropriate given the severity of the misconduct.
A spokesperson from the school where Hamblin worked emphasized the institution’s commitment to student safety as the utmost priority. They stated that immediate action was taken upon learning of the allegations, including suspending Hamblin and cooperating with law enforcement to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff.
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